Health Department Receives Pool Safely Grant

DUPAGE COUNTY-The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has awarded the DuPage County Health Department (DCHD) a $182,388 grant to provide assistance for enforcement, training and education of pool safety requirements that are intended to save lives and prevent serious injuries.

DCHD was one of five state and local governments selected to receive a total of about $1 million in Pool Safely Grant Program (PSGP) funds, which are aimed at preventing pool and spa drownings, as well as drain entrapments.

"By educating both regulators and pool owners, we hope to reduce the numbers of drownings and near-drownings in DuPage County pools and spas," said Karen Ayala, Health Department Executive Director.

This year, from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2018, at least 148 children younger than age 15 fatally drowned in swimming pools or spas, according to nationwide media reports compiled by the USA Swimming Foundation, a CPSC Pool Safely campaign partner. In Illinois, there were six pool and spa drownings involving children younger than 15 during the same period.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) every day, about ten people die from unintentional drowning. Of these, two are children aged 14 or younger. Drowning ranks fifth among the leading causes of unintentional injury death in the United States.

The grant program, authorized through the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, (VGB Act) was passed by Congress and signed into law 2007. The PSGP seeks to provide state and local governments with assistance for education, training, and enforcement of pool safety requirements.

DCHD regulates about 700 public pools and spas. Our partnering building departments regulate initial construction, and the more than 10,000 existing residential pools in DuPage County.